Five Ways to Beat Designer Procrastination.

1

Clearly define the brief.

If you don’t have clear direction, the project will suffer. Having unanswered questions or information gaps that inform the creative process just delay getting to a solution. Make sure you get as many answers upfront.

2

Cut out your emotions from the task.

It’s easy to get caught up in our default emotion towards work. Feelings like high expectations, resentment, or allowing tiredness and lack of enthusiasm to dictate your productivity. These will only hold us back from achieving things efficiently or effectively. Try to separate your feelings from the task by adopting a ‘just do it’ mentality. Think about why you are doing the task to begin with, there is always a bigger purpose.

3

Break down the job into smaller portions.

When confronting a large task, it may feel overwhelming and too big to even start. Even if you wanted to, you start feeling like if you start with Task A, you’re not getting enough of Task B, or C done. So where do you begin? My approach to a large job, would be to break it down into smaller tasks. And if they’re still looking too big, break them down again, as many times as you need to just get something done. Even if it’s as small a task as picking up your pen, followed by opening your notepad and sketching out an idea, this will still help you achieve one small task after another until you don’t notice but finish all the tasks that complete the whole job.

Martin Luther King Jr. summarised it well when he said, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

4

Take breaks and get inspired.

If you’re running low on creative energy and can’t think of any ideas to get the project going, it might help to take a break. Just do something completely different. Something lightly active like a walk and staying hydrated can keep you a little more focused. You might visit the shops, take the day off, visit a bookstore to browse the design area or hop online to look at what other creatives are doing. You might find that after taking in something that nourishes your mind and creative thinking, you’ll be better placed to start your own project and expend creative energy. It’s a bit like exercising, you can only give what you take in, so time for you is extremely important.

5

Challenge yourself creatively.

There have brand identities and projects that have left me wishing I was working on something more inspiring and engaging to look at. But now, instead of looking unenthusiastically at a design task because I don’t like the look of the brand, I seek inspiration from other creatives and similar projects that might help me see my job in a different light. Perhaps I can push my creativity and the brand I’m working on, to create something that will make me proud of what I’m doing. Push the limits a little.